Stage 201 — Restaurant in Plant City

I waited a couple weeks to post so that the review was not based on emotion. I will never return. We were seated promptly, but then the wait began. Waitress was long time in coming. Ordered beer and again, a long and unnecessary wait since there was only a table of 3 (a couple with their child) next to us. Waitress was not knowledgeable of menu (difference between Stromboli and calzone). My wife ordered a Stromboli and I ordered a sandwich. More unnecessary waiting. We observed the table beside us getting upset, too. More people filtered in, so service got worse. Two empty beer glasses sat on our table. My cold sandwich was made and delivered and I was told my wife's Stromboli would be out shortly. We had to ask for another round of beer even though glasses were empty as she turned to walk away. Several minutes later saw the Stromboli come out of the oven then sit under the warming lamps for 12 minutes! When they finally delivered it, my wife reminded the waitress that she ordered red sauce, not white. It turned out that she gave us the order for the table beside us. They had to make a new Stromboli for them because my wife touched the dough to ensure it was still hot, while ours came out several minutes later. More wait (and reminders) for another round. The table beside us complained and got comped. They left over half of the remainder of their meal behind. As I walked out the Manager saw us leave but was afraid to approach us and ask if everything was OK. Food wise, sandwich was dry and flavorless and Stromboli was overseasoned with too much seeds and grain and had too little meat inside. My sandwich and wife's Stromboli should have been delivered at the same time. ...

This is my third visit to this popular pizza joint. I must tell you a bit about each visit.

First visit I went there to just pick up an order which was called. When I arrived, I was told that the order would be ready for pick-up. I waited about 30 minutes past when it was supposed to be ready. I suspect they started making it when I arrived to pick it up. Now, in fairness, it was a busy Friday night.

I was not going to let that deter me from fulfilling the Andrew Zimmern philosophy of try it once, and if you don't like it, try it again. If you still don't like it, then don't eat it.

My second visit wasn't too different from the first. I stopped in on a whim. It was not busy, and I was 1 of 2 in the entire business. I placed my order, which was a "cracker crust" pepperoni pizza. I did not take a photo. It appeared to be a bit overcooked. It was crunchy, thus the "cracker crust." I must say I wasn't impressed. I thought the sauce was a bit off.

On my third visit, I called in an order for their regular crust pepperoni pizza. When I arrived, no one was in the foyer area. I took the time to take a few photos, which I did not do the other times. I will say that again, I'm not sold on it being the best pizza in Plant City. I thought the crust was a bit too chewy, and the sauce was a bit bland.

Now I do think the atmosphere there is probably phenomenal! There's a stage for live music. There are tons of interesting decor all around. The best feature to me is the monster pizza over in view.

I won't write it off as a place where I'll never go again. I will say it won't be my first choice. I think there are better local options...

Where do I begin? Jordan! Who met us at the front door with joyful exhuberance and energy like a nuclear reactor! After we were escorted to our seats, young Alexis was quick to arrive on the scene to take our drink order. And since we were virgins to the experience, we needed more time to peruse the menu for our appetizers of the evening. (Well, it wasn't evening. It was actually 3 in the afternoon, but we are of the older age and supper before 5 is the rule in Florida!) Anywho! The garlic "notes" 🎶 appetizers (yes 'notes', not knots!) were molto bene!! Now, for the main course, and the secondary reason for being there! (Primary reason was a friends birthday request) Pizza! But we did see great reviews on f.b. and we're intrigued prior to the birthday request. All the pies we ordered were fantastic! I got the pepperoni and anchovies (yes, anchovies, please!), wife got a white pizza, and the birthday girl got a pepperoni and basil. As a previous visitor of Naples, Italy, I have eaten the perfect pie, and these pies were as close to Pizza de Napoli that I have found so far! Less is better when it comes to Italian food! Atmosphere? Plenty of it! Check out the bathrooms and the "comic book alley"! Can't wait for the live music on stage to start soon! The drums were calling me, but, alas, they were un-tuned. On the "not-so-good" side, the sangria was okay. It had a tap water taste to it, but we were there for the pizza and atmosphere experience anyway! So, all in all, Stage 201 is great food, great peeps, and a great place to hang with family and friends! Highly recommended and will definitely...